Congress eyes extending PPP deadline for businesses, as billions sit untouched
CNN
Lawmakers are rushing to extend the federal government's key relief program for small business owners as the deadline to apply for a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program approaches with more than $110 billion still untouched.
With about 40% of the funds allocated by Congress in December remaining, lawmakers approved another $7 billion for the fund in the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill that was signed into law last week. But the additional funds are of little use if the March 31 deadline isn't pushed back. There's bipartisan support for legislation that would extend the program to May 31 and provide an additional 30-day period for the Small Business Administration to process applications that are still pending. A House bill could be voted on as soon as Tuesday evening, but the Senate will still need to pass a companion piece of legislation.President Joe Biden warned against a streak of “semi-isolationism” in the US as he stressed the importance of alliances during a symbolic visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery on Sunday, honoring the thousands of Americans who died in World War I at a site former President Donald Trump skipped during a 2018 visit to Paris.
Looking to shore up Latino votes in Nevada and Arizona for his reelection campaign, President Joe Biden is on the verge of soon following up last week’s executive action aimed at curbing border crossings with another move focused on providing legal status for long-term undocumented immigrants married to American citizens and without criminal records.